A Qantas flight to Nadi International Airport (NAN) on January 19th unexpectedly returned to Sydney's Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD) after a fault indicator was illuminated. Qantas QF101 departed from Sydney at 09:00, 25 minutes later than scheduled, and headed northeast to the Fijian Islands.

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Landed after two hours of circling

After experiencing the potential mechanical issue, the aircraft (VH-VZQ) then spent two hours circling north of Sydney to burn fuel before returning to Australia's busiest airport. This comes just day's after QF144 from Auckland to Sydney alerted a 'mayday' call.

Airservices Australia, the regulator that manages Australian skies, did not give the aircraft priority landing, as this incident was not deemed an emergency.

A statement from Qantas to news source NCA advised the aircraft could land safely and will be inspected by engineers:

“The pilots followed standard procedures and the aircraft has landed normally in Sydney,

“We thank customers for their patience and we are working to get them on their way to Fiji as quickly as possible.”

Fault indicator illuminated

Fault indicators are lights within the cockpit that, in times of a potential hazard, will notify the crew. These notifications are not specific to a particular issue, so there are no reports if this was related to any problems with the engine.

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Three incidents within a month

QF1

Qantas has experienced multiple mechanical issues within the last month, with QF1 making headlines worldwide for smoke being detected in the cargo hold, forcing the airline's Airbus A380 to divert to Baku's Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Azerbaijan (GYD).

A recovery aircraft was eventually sent direct from Sydney to Baku to save the stranded customers, who marginally made it to London in time for Christmas.

As the flight route was uncommon for the airline, Qantas said it was granted urgent approval by eight government authorities to get the replacement A380 over to Azerbaijan as quickly as possible.

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QF144

As noted earlier in this article, the second incident was QF144, which alerted a 'mayday' call between Auckland International Airport and Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport when a 'loud bang' was overheard in the cabin, and the plane jerked one side. The flight had over an hour until it reached its destination, where it could land safely, and no injuries were reported.

The pilot downgraded the alert to a 'PAN PAN' (Possible Assistance Needed). The aircraft was still met by ambulance, fire, and police on arrival at Sydney Airport. The investigation by Qantas engineers and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is ongoing.

Sources: Sydney Morning Herald, New Zealand Herald

• 

  Qantas

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  QF/QFA

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Brisbane Airport, Melbourne Airport, Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport

  Year Founded:

  1920

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  CEO:

  Alan Joyce

  Country:

  Australia

• 

  Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  SYD/YSSY

  Country:

  Australia

  CEO:

  Geoff Culbert

  Passenger Count :

  44,446,838 (2019)

  Runways :

  07/25 - 2,530m (8,300ft) | 16L/34R - 2,438m (8,000ft) | 16R/34L - 3,962m (13,000ft)

  Terminals:

  Terminal 1 | Terminal 2 | Terminal 3